Second woman dies after a multi-vehicle crash on interstate in SC, coroner says
A second driver died days after another person was killed at the scene of a three-vehicle collision on an interstate running through the Midlands.
NaShuma Knight, a 43-year-old Columbia resident, died in the Jan. 6 accident, Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill said.
On Jan. 11, Eva Dawson, a 30-year-old from Burlington, Ontario in Canada, died at a hospital in Richland County, according to Hill.
South Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper Gary Miller said the crash happened Jan. 6 at about 9:10 p.m. on Interstate 77 near the 30 mile marker, about two miles west of Ridgeway in Fairfield County.
According to Miller, a 2020 Ford SUV was traveling south on I-77 in a northbound lane and it hit a 2018 Toyota utility van and a 2016 Audi sedan head-on.
Knight, who was driving the Ford SUV, died at the scene, Hill said.
Both Dawson, who was driving the Toyota, and a passenger in the van were injured and taken to Prisma Health Richland hospital, officials said. While Dawson died at the hospital, further information on the passenger’s condition was not available.
The occupants of the Audi were not hurt, the Highway Patrol said, and no other injuries were reported.
Hill said Dawson was wearing a seat belt. There was no word if any of the other people involved in the crash were wearing seat belts.
Information about why the Ford SUV was driving in the wrong lane, heading toward oncoming traffic, was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol and the coroner’s office.
Through Wednesday, 15 people have died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 997 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least three people have died in Fairfield County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 14 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published January 7, 2024 at 7:41 AM.
